Ironing board



A. WENGER IRONING BOARD Oct. 20, 1936.

Filed March 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 44mm M's/van? ATTORNEYS.

A. WENGER IRONING BOARD Oct. 20, 1936.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1936 Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in collapsible ironing boards and particularly to means for operatively mounting and bracing such a board on the supporting legs thereof so as to 5 afford a greater unobstructed clearance space below the undersurface of the board than has heretofore been possible with other means employed for horizontally supporting such boards.

This application is in part a continuation of 10. my copending application, Serial No. 41,247 filed September 19, 1935, disclosing both a rigid and articulated angular ironing board brace.

An object of my invention is to employ an angular brace member for supporting the board 15 on the legs thereof and mount the brace member with its apex disposed proximate the hinge between the board and its supporting legs and in which the arms or bars of the brace, for a substantial distance, are disposed respectively in 20 supporting engagement along the under-surface of the board and against the supporting legs thereof.

7 Another important object of my invention is to provide means 'for easily and quickly manipulat- 5 ing the legs and brace member into and from board supporting position.

Another object of my invention is to provide supporting means of the class described in combi-nation with an ironing board in which the legs 30 are adapted to collapse upon one another and upon the board itself to dispose the legs in a plane close to and parallel with the board and in which the legs and supporting member may be opened and disposed in board supporting position 35 or closed from said position, in one operation.

Other objects of my invention will either become apparent or be particularly referred to in connection with the description of the illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accom- 4 panying drawings, in which a Figure 1 illustrates a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of an ironing board employing my invention as the same would appear when the board is opened for use;

45 Figure 2 is an end view of the board shown in Figure 1 as the same would appear when viewed from the left hand end thereof.

Figure 3 is a detail View showing the position the parts will automatically assume when the 50 board, is being opened and just prior to disposing the same in operative position upon the floor.

Figures 4 and 5 are edge and bottom views respectively of the board shown in Figures 1 and 2 when the same is in folded position. In Figure 55 4, a portion of the legs is shown broken away, to

show the angular brace means in folded position.

Figure 6 is a view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 shows a modified form of the device shown in Figures 1 to 6. 5

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the numeral I0 represents an ironing board having a pair of substantially vertically disposed back legs II and a pair of inclined front legs I2 hingeably mounted proximate one end of the 10 board I0 in any suitable manner, such for example, as by means of bolts I3 for securing the legs to oppositely disposed brackets I4 mounted on the underside of the board. The legs II and I2, respectively, are secured together as units by any suitable means such as cross pieces I5 and I6 and a cleat I! in the case of the legs II, and two cleats I8 and board IS in the case of the legs I2. The legs II contact with the floor at spaced points while the legs I2 are secured together proximate the lower end thereof and make contact with the floor at a common point.

The legs II and I2 are prevented from spreading with respect to one another and by being held in board supporting position by means of a pair of tension links 20 having the upper ends thereof secured respectively to the legs I2 by means of screws 2I. The lower ends of the links 20 are slidably connected, respectively, to the lower ends of the legs I I in any suitable way, such as being disposed in confining bands 22 secured respectively to the lower end of the legs II and prevented from being withdrawn therefrom by means of stop pins or screws 23 placed in the lower ends of the links 20 after said ends are inserted into the bands 22.

From the above it will be understood that the links 20 in the position shown in Figure 1 prevent the legs II and I2 from spreading whereby said leg structure forms a rigid three point support for the board.

In addition to the leg structure above described my board is supported by an articulated U-shaped or angular brace means comprising a comparatively long rigid arm or angle bar 25 secured in any suitable way to the underside of the ironing board and preferably disposed along the longitudinal center line thereof, and a second comparatively long rigid arm or angle bar 26 having one end thereof hinged as at 2'! to one end of the bar 25. The arm 26 is adapted to lie and slide against and receive its support from the board I9 forming part of the inclined leg structure I2.

If desired the lower end of the bar 26 may be mounted for sliding movement with respect to the inclined legs in any other suitable bearing means, such for example, as that shown in Figure 7 to be hereinafter described. In the form here shown, however, the bar 26 is adapted'to rest and slide on the board l9 between two guide blocks 28 and 29, see Figure 2. A strut 30 hinged to the bar 25 at 3| supports the arms in what may be described as an extended supporting position when the end of the strut is in cooperative engagement with a stop 32 on the bar 26. In view of an operation to be hereinafter described it will be noted that the strut 30 is connected to the bar 25 at a point nearer the hinge 21 than the dis-;

tance between said hinge and the stop 32.,

Referring now to Figure '7, it will be se'e'ri'that' the brace means comprises arms 4l l-4I,. hinged together at 43. In this form of device the arm 40 is rigidly secured to the bottom of the board- III in bearings 44 and 45 and the free end of arm 4| is slidably secured to the legs l2 by a bearing 46. A strut 4T, hinged to the arm 40, at 48 supports the arms in spaced relationship with respect to one another in what may be described as an extended supporting position when the free end of the strut is disposed in a notch 49 formed in the arm 4i. While the legs II and I2 may be braced as above described, I illustrate in this form of my device an articulated brace comprising links 5|] and 5| hingeably mounted in any suit able manner to the legs II and l2by means of fixtures 52 and 53. A stop 54 is formed-on the link 50 to hold it in the position shown when the legs are open for use. It Will be understood that the joint between the links 50 and 5i may be hingeably elevated to permit the legs II and I2 to be folded upon one another. Y

In the device here shown the brace means i preferably made of metal of sufficient strength to serve as a stiffening means for the board for a substantial distance from the hinge |3-l4 toward the free end of the board as well as serving as a support having an effectiveness at least equal to a straight support disposed between the board Ill and the legs l2 at the free ends of the bars 25 and 26 remote from the hinge 21. This angular form of support or brace means, however, is superior to other forms of supporting means, particularly of the straight bar type; in the matter of affording the desired clearance beneath the board above referred to.

Referring now to Figure 1 it will be understood that when the board I0 is elevated with the left hand end downward the legs II will fall freely against the leg l2 permitting the link 20to slide in the bands 22, whereupon the strut 30 may be unhooked and permitted to fall downwardly by gravity by first moving the board l0 away from the leg l2 and thereafter collapsing the boardto the positions as shown in Figures 4 and 5. 'It will be noted that when the board is'folded it is adapted to rest upon the ends of the legs l2 and prevent the board from being soiled by contact with the floor.

When it is desired to stand the ironing board in operative position the board It] may be grasped in the hands and held in a somewhat inclined position similar to that shown in Figure 3, whereupon the legs l2 will drop toand rest upon the floor and the legs ll fall freely'away from the legs l2 and the strut 30 will hang downwardly as shown above the stop 32. With the parts in this position the mere act of setting the board firmly on the floor and permittingthe same to become horizontal causes the legs' H and "I2 and link 20to assume the position shown-in Figurel and cause the strut 30 to engage the stop 32. It is in view of this operation and the closing operation above described that I have referred above to my board as being capable of being closed or opened and disposed in board supporting position in one operation.

While I have described what now seems to be the preferred form of a device embodying my invention various modifications in the configuration of the component elements which incombination make up the invention as a Whole may occur to those skilled in the art and no specific limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawings.

3 What is claimed is:

l. An ironing board comprising in combination a pair of vertical legs and a pair of inclined legs secured by hinge means proximate one end of said board, bracing means to hold said legs in supporting position, an articulated angular brace means for supporting said board in horizontal position on said legs with an unobstructed clearance space below the board from a' point proximate said hinge means to the other end of said board, said angular brace means comprising a pair of hinged arms each having a free end, the free end of one of said arms being secured to the underside of said boardand having a strut hingeably secured thereto, a bearing on said inclined legs for slidably securing the free end of the other arm thereto; and a notch in said other arm affording cooperative engagement with the end of said strut whereby the free ends of said arms are held in spaced relationship with respect to one another to support said board in horizontal position.

2. An ironing board structure comprising an ironing board member; supporting leg means hingeably secured to the ironing board near one end thereof so that it can assume an extended supporting position and can also fold up close to the board including an inclined leg member; foldable brace means to hold the leg means in extended supporting position including an articulated angle bar having two rigid side pieces hinged together at their ends and extending asubstantial distance from the hinge forthe leg means and inwhich the sides of the bar areheld rigid with respect to each other in extended supporting position by means of a strut disposed between said side pieces, means securing one of the sides of the angle bar to one of the aforesaid members, the other side of the angle bar cooperatively engaging the other of the aforesaid members whereby said brace means afiords a support for the ironing board for a substantial distance from the hinge for said leg means.

3. An ironing board comprising in combination supporting leg means having an inclined leg, a hinge for seeming said leg means proximate one end of said board, an articulated angular-brace means for supporting said board in horizontal position on said inclined leg with an unobstructed clearance space below the board from a point proximate said hinge means to the other end of said board, said brace means comprising a pair of hinged arms, each of said arms having a free end, the free end of one of said arms being secured to the underside of said board and having a'strut hingeably secured thereto, bearing means on said inclined leg slidably engaging the free end of the other arm, and means on said other arm affording cooperative engagement therewith by the end of said strut whereby the free ends of said arms are held in spacedrelationship with respect to one another to support said board in horizontal position.

4. An ironing board structure comprising an ironing board member; supporting leg means hingeably secured to the ironing board so that it can assume an extended supporting position, and can also fold up close to the board including an inclined leg m'ember; foldable brace means to hold the leg means in extended supporting position including a pair of angle bars, a hinge connecting an end of one bar to an end of the other bar; a strut hingedly connected to one bar at a point spaced from said hinge, a stop on the other bar located at a point further from said hinge than is the point at which said strut is connected to the first mentioned bar, means securing one bar to one of the aforesaid members, the other bar slidably engaging the other of the aforesaid members whereby said brace means affords a support for the ironing board for a substantial distance from the hinge for said leg means.

5. An ironing board comprising in combination a pair of substantially vertically disposed legs and an inclined leg secured by hinge means proximate one end of said board, telescoping link means to hold said legs in supporting position, an articulated angular brace means for supporting said board on said inclined leg with an unobstructed clearance space below the board from a point proximate said hinge means to the other end of said board, said brace means comprising a pair of hinged arms, each of said arms having a free end, the free end of one of said arms being secured to the underside of said board and having a strut hingeably secured thereto, bearing means on said inclined leg slidably engaging the free end of the other arm, and means on said other arm affording cooperative engagement therewith by the end of said strut whereby the free ends of said arms are held in spaced relationship with respect to one another to support said board in horizontal position, said telescoping link means having one end secured to the inclined leg proximate the bearing means and the other end slidably connected proximate the bottom end of the substantially vertical legs.

AARON WENGER. 

